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Wednesday, 7 November 2012

Bobby Fischer documentary wins award

A film about troubled US chess genius Bobby Fischer
has been named best cinema documentary at the Grierson Trust's British
Documentary Awards.

Bobby Fischer
Against the World looked at the rise and fall of the chess grandmaster and his
death in 2008.

A BBC Two film
about author Terry Pratchett considering assisted suicide won best contemporary
UK documentary.

The prize for
best series went to BBC Two's Protecting Our Children, which followed social
workers in Bristol.

The awards,
dedicated to Scottish director John Grierson, celebrated their 40th anniversary
at a ceremony in London hosted by artist Grayson Perry.

Entries needed
to have had their first UK screening between 1 May 2011 to 30 April 2012 in
order to be eligible.

Bobby Fischer
Against the World kept viewers "completely hooked from beginning to
end", according to judging panel chairman Chris Harris.

Other winners
included a BBC Culture Show Special on artist Jeremy Deller, which was named
best arts documentary.

Film-maker
Kevin Macdonald, of Marley and Touching the Void fame, received the Grierson
Trustees' Award.

Channel 4's
Gypsy Blood, in which photographer Leo Maguire followed bare-knuckle fighting
in gypsy families, picked up the prize for best newcomer documentary.

"From
relatively modest beginnings, the Grierson Awards are now truly international
and rightly considered the documentary world's equivalent to the Oscars,"
said Dawn Airey, chairman of the Grierson Trust.

"The past
few months have demonstrated more than ever the vital role factual film-makers
continue to play in not only illuminating the world around us but also in
exposing wrong doing and injustice."